Overrated and overhyped

Nice effects though.

How sad is this?

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

I'm not a big fan of Sokurov. Not even a small one. But I couldn't get away from the screen this time. I was glued to that. There's no real story in it, just a picture hypnotising you. The voice of main character behind the camera is so low you barely hear what he is saying, if at all. And it doesn't matter. The dialogs seem redundant and random, and the main message is obscure. Somehow it feels right.

As a piece of art I'd give it a 9, as entertainment I'd give it a 7. This is a slow-moving piece that is composed of one very long shot. Watching it you'll mostly ponder how they coordinated so many scenes in so many rooms - which take place across multiple time periods - and performed it so seamlessly without any cuts. At its worse it can be a bit boring, but at its best its positively dream-like and provides a visceral experience rarely felt in film. It's certainly one I won't forget.It's one long dreamy walk through the Saint Petersburg palace across different time periods. You'll either learn something about Russian history, or you'll learn the beauty of Russian stubbornness.

This is slow moving but I really like it. It's about a ghostly narrator traveling through the Hermitage. 3 centuries of Russian history are all fit into a single uninterrupted take. It's very impressive that they were able to do it and it makes this film very ambitious. The reenactments of historical events are entertaining and surprisingly engaging. The Hermitage is known for its well done architecture and the movie helped bring its great architecture to the screen. It is gorgeous to look at and it displays several shots real well making them highly memorable. If you don't like slow paced movies then this is not for you but if you like slow movies then you'll most likely enjoy it. Little if not any action happens in this movie yet I enjoyed every bit of it. The ending is quite poignant and it is very thought provoking and a lot of thought went into it. The movie gives you ideas and concepts to think about long after viewing it and its final shot will be lingering in your head. This is a memorable movie that must be watched by all people who like the Art House genre.

First off, I was shocked to see that the film was made in 2002. I'm watching it in 2015: Where has it been all this time? Why did not ONE soul (or that soul's print/online recommendation) get through to me about this?This almost isn't a film. I come to IMDb to rate and comment on story, editing, direction, acting, pacing, production, etc. All I need to say about this flick is that it's technically flawless. And, beyond that, it well, well, well over-pays its dues with a profound seamless metaphor that surges and metamorphoses like a slo-mo rolling tsunami wave, conceptualized by an acidhead. And all this functions as a mammoth commentary on the very concept of time, albeit specifically as it relates to human experience.I had lots of feelings while watching, but one thing that came back, again and again, is the by-design pauperization of American global understanding that was the Cold War. The stateside architects of that propaganda blitz must've known that something precious was being lost, but probably convinced themselves that the (global) village had to be destroyed in order to "save" it. I'm not saying I'm entirely sanguine about post-War Russia--Stalin and all that--and I'm not waxing romantic over Czarist Russia. But all that remonstrance is dwarfed by the sheer magnitude of humanity--physical and spiritual--that engulfs us from start to finish in this flick.Watch it.